


22/09/24: when she calls

by excelsi_or



Series: to a boy i love right now [37]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24741838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/excelsi_or/pseuds/excelsi_or
Summary: Jihoon is actually about to leave the studio early(ish), until she calls asking him for help. Sleep can wait.
Relationships: Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Original Female Character(s)
Series: to a boy i love right now [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1252010
Kudos: 4





	22/09/24: when she calls

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to write these so you didn't need to read the one before to understand what's happening. There's a brief mention in this one referencing the last part, but it's minor. :)

_September 22, 2024_

Jihoon slowly gets up from his computer chair, not wanting to leave the studio, but knowing he should call it a night. He fiddles with something on the screen until he sees a reminder on his phone.

**11:45 PM**

_SERIOUSLY. GO HOME._

Jihoon huffs and saves all his progress. When he steps out of the studio, he can hear music coming from the practice room. He knows with a comeback looming Jiwoo’s group is working hard to be ready. He knocks on the door and calls his goodbyes. The girls wave goodbye, Jiwoo coming to the door to talk to him.

“So how’s the second month being back going?”

They haven’t had any time to actually catch up since he’s returned.

Jihoon shrugs. “Not much has changed around here. It’s colder.”

Jiwoo takes a long swig from her water bottle. “How’s the girlfriend? She must be happy to have you home.”

Jihoon weighs all his possible responses at rapid-fire speed. Maybe it’s a girl thing that she’s able to read his pause in the conversation.

“Ah. Didn’t work out?”

Jihoon’s gaze drops to the floor for a moment. “I came back for a reason.”

Jiwoo’s eyes narrow. “So… you’re not together?”

“I don’t think so,” Jihoon admits.

“She hurt you left her?”

“Maybe that I left her alone too long,” Jihoon muses.

She nods her head thoughtfully, about to return to practice. “Well, she seemed good for you, oppa.”

Before he can respond to that, his phone starts to ring. Her name shows up on the screen and Jihoon can’t help but smile. “Hello?”

“Hey,” she grunts.

Jihoon heads back down the hallway to the elevator. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Would love to hear about it.” She takes a deep breath. “Any way you can come over?” Her voice sounds strained.

“Sure, something wrong?” He double checks that the door to the studio is locked as he passes.

“I need assistance and no one else is free to come help me.”

Jihoon is reminded of his conversation with the boys after the café set up.

“Well, she didn’t say no to getting back together,” Jeonghan had pointed out.

“She also didn’t mention anything about seeing each other again,” Jihoon sighed, slumping back into Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s couch.

Seungcheol had set drinks down in the center of the table for everyone to grab. “But she also didn’t tell you to leave as soon as the conversation was over. You said you gave her the opportunity to kick you out, right?”

“She’s too nice to do that. You guys know that.”

Mingyu picked up his hand and forced a shot glass into it. “Look, hyung, we’re on your guys’ side. Whatever you need us to do.”

Quickly, Jihoon sat up. “I don’t need you guys to do anything. I’ll figure it out.”

To which Seungkwan had replied with, “Well, we’re still going to help you out.”

And Jihoon wonders now if this is their way of helping him out. This isn’t the first time he’s conveniently been her last line of defence.

“Yeah, I’ll be over in a few.” He steps onto the elevator. “I’m just leaving work.”

“Perfect.”

When he arrives at the apartment, Jihoon gets a text telling him to just use his key to come upstairs. Jihoon’s brow furrows. While he keeps the key on him, he’s never used it since returning.

As he lets himself into the apartment, he calls out for her. The lights are all on and he can hear panting from the living room. Cautiously, Jihoon slips out of his slides, drops his bag by the door, and moves down the hallway. He isn’t sure what he’s going to find, but what he does find is the last thing on his list.

She’s got the TV propped on her thighs, her back against the bookshelf, and her phone in hand. “Oh thank god,” she breathes. “Help me move this stupid thing.”

Jihoon hurries forward and lifts the other end easily. She groans as she straightens her legs. “Holy _shit_.”

“What were you doing?”

They move the TV to the floor and she collapses next to it.

“Well, my projector came in.” She motions towards the box on the table. “So I figured I’d finally get rid of this TV. But it was heavier than I realized and when I finally got half of it down, it sort of just… got stuck on me and I couldn’t lift it without dropping it. All the boys are busy at 11:30 at night apparently.”

“Yeah, sleeping” Jihoon snorts.

She crawls to the coffee table and quickly slices the box open. “Are you cool helping me set it up? You’re good at this kind of thing.”

“Oh. Yeah. Sure.”

She looks back at him. “Unless you have to go home. I know it’s late.”

Jihoon shakes his head. He adjusts his hat, fixing his hair underneath it. “No, no. Sleep can wait.”

She pouts. “Jihoon.”

He chuckles and moves to squat next to her. “Seriously. I have time to do this.”

They wind up bickering as they set up the projector, arguing over which cables go where. They then argue over what to do with the television since it was a gift from his parents when they moved in together. She insisted he take it; Jihoon said it was a gift to both of them. When she suggested returning it to them, he told her that they would be offended.

“Let’s just… deal with it tomorrow,” she sighs. She falls back on the couch, catching the projector in her hand as it topples off the back of couch. They also couldn’t decide where the projector best sat to get the best projection.

Jihoon nods, leaning his head back against the couch.

Before she can ask him if he thinks _Tangled_ looks okay on the wall, Jihoon has conked out.

She doesn’t have the heart to wake him to leave.


End file.
